Fan mount for grain drying and storage bin

Abstract

An improved grain drying and storage bin of the type having side walls and a perforated floor defining a plenum chamber and a grain drying and storage chamber and an improved fan mounting therefor. The fan mounting arrangement includes an opening in the sidewall, a fan mounted with a portion above the level of the perforated floor, an angled housing extending from the top of the opening to the perforated floor and a plurality of vanes disposed on the interior surface of the housing to direct the air upwardly and outwardly into the grain drying and storage chamber.

We claim: 
     
       1. A grain drying and storage bin comprising: a generally horizontal base;   a sidewall extending upwardly from said base;   a perforated floor extending to said side wall and spaced vertically above said base;   an opening in said sidewall for the introduction of air into the bin, a first part of said opening being below said perforated floor and a second part of said opening being above said perforated floor;   an air circulating means mounted externally of said sidewall for introducing air through said opening into the bin;   an angled, perforated housing extending from near the edge of said second part of said opening downwardly and inwardly to said perforated floor, said perforated floor being cut away in the area below said angled housing, said angled housing including a perforated top section having one edge secured to the inner surface of said sidewall and a pair of generally triangular, perforated side sections each having a first edge connected with a surface of said sidewall, a second edge connected with said perforated floor and a third edge connected with said top section.   
     
     
       2. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 1 wherein said top section includes a pair of side edges and said bin includes a pair of support braces disposed at the side edges of said top section, said braces having their top ends secured to said sidewall and their lower ends secured to said perforated floor. 
     
     
       3. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 2, wherein said angled housing consists of a single piece of perforated material having edge flanges at the outer edges of said top and side sections for securing the same to said sidewall and perforated floor. 
     
     
       4. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 3 including a plurality of air vanes secured to the underside of said angled housing for directing incoming air upwardly through the perforations in said angled housing into the bin. 
     
     
       5. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 4 wherein said air vanes extend outwardly from said housing and generally toward said opening. 
     
     
       6. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 5 having a pair of air vanes in each of said top and side sections. 
     
     
       7. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 1 including a plurality of air vanes secured to the underside of said angled housing for directing incoming air upwardly through the perforations in said angled housing into the bin. 
     
     
       8. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 7 wherein said air vanes extend outwardly from said housing and generally toward said opening. 
     
     
       9. In a grain drying and storage bin having a generally horizontal base, a sidewall extending upwardly from said base and a perforated floor extending generally to said sidewall and spaced vertically above said base, the improvement comprising: an opening in said sidewall for the introduction of air into the bin, a first part of said opening being below said perforated floor and a second part of said opening being above said perforated floor;   an air circulating means mounted externally of said sidewall for introducing air through said opening into the bin;   an angled, perforated housing extending from near the edge of said second part of said opening downwardly and inwardly to said perforated floor, said perforated floor being cut away in the area below said angled housing, said angled housing including a generally trapezoidally shaped, perforated top section having its major base secured to a surface of said sidewall and its minor base secured to said perforated floor and a pair of generally triangular, perforated side sections each having one leg secured to a surface of said sidewall, a second leg secured to said perforated floor and a third leg secured to a side edge of said top section.   
     
     
       10. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 9 wherein between about one-fourth and one-half of said opening is disposed above said perforated floor. 
     
     
       11. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 9 wherein each of said side sections slopes outwardly from said top section toward said perforated floor. 
     
     
       12. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 11 wherein said top section forms an angle of between 20° and 40° with respect to said perforated floor. 
     
     
       13. The grain drying and storage bin of claim 12 wherein said top section forms an angle of about 30° with respect to said perforated floor.